


Still Into You

by wuwu



Category: Rooster Teeth/Achievement Hunter RPF
Genre: Alternate Universe - Soulmates, Aromantic, Aromantic!Joel, F/F, Fluff, Lindsay and Barb is only mentioned, M/M, Multi, Smut, Soulmate-Identifying Marks, tags will be added as chapters are posted
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2014-10-01
Updated: 2015-04-06
Packaged: 2018-02-19 11:40:21
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 4
Words: 11,144
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/2387009
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/wuwu/pseuds/wuwu
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Whenever someone is born, they’re born with the heart—or hearts, in Michael’s case—of their soul mate(s) on the inside of one of their forearms. When one see's their soulmate the two see hearts that match the color of the heart on their arm. They only disappear when they shake hands.<br/>Or the story of how Michael Vincent Jones came to know his five boyfriends that were given to him by the universe.</p>
            </blockquote>





	1. Where Is Your Boy Tonight?

**Author's Note:**

> Chapter title based on the song by Fall Out Boy
> 
> I wanted to do a soul mate au for a while and i saw a tumblr post that was like "what if when u see ur crush hearts float around" and i was like cool  
> Also for the sake of the fic Michael's Gears of War tattoo is on his bicep

Michael shut his eyes even tighter as his right arm covered his face while the other tried to bring his blanket up to cover his head. He groaned when he realized it was already snatched off of his bed and peeked from beneath his arm to see Lindsay grinning triumphantly, blanket in hand.

“Give me my fucking blanket back,” Michael snapped. He shut his eyes again and flipped onto his stomach, trying to get away from the sunlight that poured in from the window.

“Not until you get up!” Lindsay sang. “You promised we would go mate hunting and I’m not letting you bail out this time!” She threw the blanket to the floor and grabbed Michael by his ankles to pull him off the bed.

“Wait, let go!” He clutched at the headboard and looked around frantically for anything else to grab onto when he would inevitably have to let go of the bed. “I’ll get up!” He shook his legs and frowned as Lindsay giggled, letting his ankles out of her hold.

“Go get ready and be out as soon as possible,” she smiled.

“Whatever,” Michael grumbled.

He stretched his arms and let out a sigh when he heard his bones pop. Grabbing a new change of clothes, he made his way into the warm stream of water from his shower. Michael furrowed his brows in annoyance as he glanced down at the hearts etched into his skin by the universe.

Whenever someone is born, they’re born with the heart—or hearts, in Michael’s case—of their soul mate(s) on the inside of one of their forearms. If their arm was missing, for whatever reason, it would be placed elsewhere on the body. Usually people are only born with one heart and some with none at all, but there were quite a few cases that Michael had heard of when people had more than one heart drawn onto their skin. (It wasn’t like he researched it or anything.) If someone is born before their soul mate, they’re born with a heart without any color. It was only a black outline. As soon as their mate was born, though, it would fill with color. It was usually their favorite color, but sometimes it was random. If someone is the younger mate, then they are born with their heart already filled in with color.

Michael was born with five hearts and three of them had been filled in at birth. They were littered on the inside of his right forearm, opposite of Lindsay’s. The hearts were in a row, probably arranged from oldest to youngest he guessed since two of them became colored in while he was younger in what looked to start at the left and end to the right. A bright orange was the first, staying near his wrist. Next was an icy blue to the right of the first. A hot pink one followed after, along with neon green and a dark brown that sat near the inside of his elbow.

He frowned at the dark brown heart and scrubbed at it with his soapy hand. Whenever a soul mate was ill or dying their heart would start to fade a little, so there was no telling the difference in what was actually something serious and what was a slight fever. For the past few days the heart had been losing its shade of brown, slowly regaining color and fading back to the murky shade as before. He bit his lip as he watched it fade a little more, able to see the pale contrast of his skin under it. He hoped the color would soon brighten and that his soul mate wasn’t dying. He heard stories of when someone’s soul mate died and how the black outline would be replaced with the color that used to fill the heart, leaving it blank. He didn’t want an empty, brown heart on his arm. When the color slowly returned he let out a sigh of relief and continued to wash his hair and body.

He left the bathroom almost ten minutes after he got in the shower and made his way into the kitchen to see Lindsay drinking a cup of apple juice at the table.

“Looking spiffy there,” she said, sarcasm evident in her tone.

“Oh shut up,” Michael rolled his eyes. He glanced down at his worn in black hoodie and wrinkled dark wash jeans and pursed his lips. At least his Vans looked kind of nice.

“Why aren’t you wearing something nice?” Lindsay pointed to her own outfit, tilting her head to the side as she stared at Michael. She wore a tight fitting blue shirt and a black cardigan along with light wash jeans and a pair of black flats. It looked decent enough for someone looking for their soul mate. Except, she wasn’t.

“You don’t even have to dress all nice,” Michael pointed out. “You could be wearing something much more comfortable. Barbara’s not gonna see you so what does it matter?”

“Excuse me for wanting to look like I didn’t just roll out of bed.”

“I kind of did, though.”

Lindsay crossed her arms and sighed, standing up from where she sat at the table. “Whatever. Let’s just get you a lover.”

The two walked out of Michael’s apartment, chatting lightheartedly as they walked mindlessly around Austin for almost an hour. Michael rolled up his sleeves as the day progressed and rolled his eyes at people that stared at his arm. Some people looked confused by it but others sent him sympathetic glances for the heart that slowly eroded away. He scoffed at people that looked too long or tried not to look at all and shoved his hands into his pocket.

“Why don’t we go check out some games?” Lindsay asked, sensing her company’s slight irritation.

“Sounds good.”

The two opted to take a bus to GameStop instead of walking in the Austin heat. Hopefully it would start to cool down soon as autumn overtook summer.

“Do you think I can get a discount again if I show some cleavage?” Lindsay joked, shoving her elbow into Michael’s ribs.

“I’d show some if it meant I could get discounts,” Michael laughed. “Maybe if we both do it we could get some games for free.” He opened the door for Lindsay and stopped in the doorway as small, brown hearts appeared in his peripheral vision. He stood there for a few more seconds, dazed with furrowed brows. Was that supposed to happen?

“Michael?” Lindsay asked warily when she noticed Michael standing in the doorway. She dragged him by the arm over to a deserted corner of the store before rubbing his biceps softly, trying to soothe him. “What happened?”

Michael’s eyes darted around, trying to look at the hearts in his vision but failing as they moved away to other corners of his sight. “Lindsay,” he breathed. “What did you say happened when you met Barb?”

“I, uh, I saw hearts floating around and stuff,” she gulped. “And then when I locked eyes with her they floated around her head and they stopped after we shook hands. The hearts should get clearer and should let you look at them the closer you are to them.” She squinted at him and grabbed his chin, forcing him to look her in the eye. “Are you gonna meet your soul mate?”

“I think so,” Michael whispered.

“I totally knew you were gonna get some tonight.”

“Fuck off,” Michael joked. He glanced around and saw a few customers loitering around the store, some checking out a few disc cases and others looking at the TVs in the room. Michael walked around and made sure to go near every customer, frowning when the person he stepped towards wasn’t his soul mate.

Finding the person you’re supposed to love was hard as fuck and Michael knew it was bullshit when everyone said it was the best moment of their life. You didn’t know who that person was and nobody could help you since only you and your soul mate could see the hearts. His eyes hurt from the disorienting shapes and he was about ready to give up when he saw the cashier staring at him.

He had slightly tanned skin, glasses, messy brown hair, and a scruffy beard that wasn’t entirely unattractive. Their eyes met and Michael’s eyes widened as he saw the stupid brown hearts flutter around the cashier’s head.

At least his soul mate was cute.

Michael strolled up to the counter and put his hands in his pocket as he glanced at the nametag on the man’s shirt. _Ray._ He was about to introduce himself but was interrupted when his mate started speaking.

“Is this love at first sight or what?” The man, _Ray_ , smiled and Michael tried his hardest to not kiss him then and there. Sure, they didn’t know each other yet, but god damn that smile was adorable.

“Is that how you’re gonna start this?” Michael laughed. (He would never admit that he got butterflies from that lame pickup line.) He held his hand out and smiled as Ray shook it. He almost yelled in pure bliss as the hearts dissipated.

“I’ve been waiting to say that since like, forever,” Ray said. “So yeah.” He pulled his left arm up to his face and coughed into the inside of his elbow as he turned away from Michael.

Michael shook his head and rested his elbows on the counter. “You’re an idiot _and_ you’re that fucking bastard that own this stupid heart?” He pointed at the heart on the inside of his arm and pressed down on the fading brown that stained his skin. “It’s been all fucked up since forever ago. I thought you were dying or something.”

Ray shrugged in response and frowned when he saw a customer heading their way. “I hate to say this to one of my lovely soul mates, but it seems that I actually have to work.”

“Oh shit, I forgot about that.” Michael stepped away from the counter and let Ray punch in numbers and put discs in cases as he gave them back to the customers.

“Why don’t we call each other sometime, uh…” Ray trailed off as soon as nobody else was at the register.

“Michael.”

“Michael,” Ray smiled. He grabbed a paper and tore off a corner before writing his number on it. Michael took it with a grin and nodded, loving the way his crappy handwriting said _Ray <3._

The two waved each other off and Lindsay jumped on Michael’s back as soon as they left the store. “I fucking called it!” she yelled. “Lindsay Tuggey: Psychic in Training. You could totally be my sexy receptionist.”

“Calm down,” Michael laughed as he grabbed her feet, wrapping them around his waist. “It was just luck.”

“Luck or not, I’m still right. I deserve a treat.”

“How about we get you ice cream from Dairy Queen or something?”

“Pumpkin Pie Blizzards are the way to go, dude.”

\--

Michael punched in Ray’s number into his contacts, making sure to keep the heart that he drew. He didn’t know when his shift ended but decided to call at around nine thirty, positive that Ray wouldn’t be working into the late hours of the night.

Michael blinked furiously as if that would stop the slight tremble in his hands. In all twenty three years of his life he never imagined he would meet one of his soul mates at such a young age. He thought he would meet them when he was extremely old, considering he was one of the few people that didn’t meet their predestined significant other when he was a teenager.

“ _Hello?_ ”

“It’s your lovely soul mate,” Michael said, trying to joke his nerves away.

“ _I don’t think that’s right since so far you’re my_ only _soul mate._ ”

“But you said it yourself.”

“ _Well I’m an idiot._ ”

Sure, finding his soul mate had been a bitch and he wished it happened sooner, but Michael was glad the majority of people were right when they said it was supposed to feel natural talking to your soul mate. Michael was grateful for that since he wouldn’t have to go through the awkward stages of trying to talk to someone and see if they were okay with his tone and words.

“I was thinking…,” Michael said after a minute of comfortable silence had passed. “Why don’t I take you out for dinner sometime?”

“ _It would be my pleasure_ ,” Ray smiled.

The two continued to talk about their plans for their date and it soon turned into how old Michael was, and how Ray was a baby since he barely turned twenty-one even though he was only two years younger than Michael. Age evolved into little snippets of childhood which brought up video games and why Michael was in GameStop in the first place.

“Well I was with my friend, Lindsay, and she must’ve thought I was gonna rip someone’s dick off or something because she looked like she wanted to drag me somewhere else but in the public eye,” Michael said.

“ _So you guys picked GameStop_?”

“I wanted some stuff to play, too, so don’t patronize me.”

“ _But you didn’t buy anything._ ”

“How about you shut up,” Michael teased.

“ _Bossy._ ”

“Oh shit I forgot to ask,” Michael said. “What color was my heart? ‘Cause, y’know, I couldn’t see it with that fucking long sleeve of yours.”

“ _Oh, it’s uh... It’s red._ ” Ray ran his fingers over the top of his sleeve and smiled to himself, almost losing reality in the daze he was slowly falling into.

“Read me your colors.”

“ _Alright_ ,” Ray agreed. “ _Uh, orange, blue, pink, red, green… And I guess this means I’m the youngest of six since my heart was the last on your arm, right?_ ”

“You’re gonna be the fucking baby of the group,” Michael laughed.

“ _Yeah, yeah, laugh it up. But when the time comes, everyone is gonna want a piece of this Puerto Rican ass. I’m irresistible._ ”

The two continued to chat until the late hours of the night, but Michael realized he had the morning shift at work and wanted to get in a few hours of sleep. When the call ended, though, Michael knew he wouldn’t be able to sleep and yearned to hear Ray’s voice again.

\--

More than a dozen dates later and the small remnants of summer had long since drained into autumn when late October rolled around. Austin would get many cold mornings and a few cold days. None of the days were freezing, but the air had been considerably less hot than it was in summer.

“Hey, Ray,” Michael spoke up from where they sat on a park bench. Their fingers were intertwined and they both had a red scarf wrapped around their necks over their thin sweaters, courtesy of Ray.

“Yeah?” Ray turned to look at Michael and saw that he was beginning to space out so he started rubbing small circles on the back of his hand to try and get Michael to focus.

“I’m really glad I met you,” Michael said. He smiled at the touch of Ray’s hand in his own and gave him a loving squeeze of his palm.

“As am I.” Ray used his free hand to bring Michael’s head down to rest on his shoulder. The two sat there in silence for a few moments before Michael spoke up again.

“I can’t wait to meet our other soul mates. I’d get four times the action I do now.”

“You fucking asshole,” Ray laughed. He pressed a kiss to the crown of said asshole’s head and smiled as he nuzzled his curly hair.

Michael grinned to himself and brought his head up so he could place a kiss on Ray’s lips.

Yeah, he was extremely delighted to have met Ray.


	2. I Live to Let You Shine

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> How could Ray ever compare to his sun and moon?

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Dialogue is not my strong suit in case you were wondering  
> Chapter Title inspired by the song _Boats and Birds_ by _Gregory and the Hawk_  
>  also kind of smut towards the end (it's totally skippable if you don't wanna read it)

“Michael!” Ray called out from the kitchen. The faint sound of a fridge door closing could be heard from their shared room where Michael sat, texting Lindsay from under the covers. “ _Michaaaaeeel!_ ” Ray yelled when he didn’t get any response. “ _MICHAEL._ ”

“What?” He yelled from the bedroom. He rolled his eyes when Ray didn’t respond and made his way into the kitchen, phone in hand. “Yes, my lovely and most favorite man in the world?”

“There’s no food,” Ray frowned, slumping down to the floor. He looked up at Michael and pouted his lip, silently asking for him to go to the store.

“You can’t even cook so why are you freaking out about this?”

“I want ice-cream.”

“Ray,” Michael started. “It’s February and you’re gonna eat that in this fucking weather?”

“Come on,” Ray complained.

“Only if you come with me.”

“Fuck.”

A few minutes later and the two were dressed in jeans and matching black hoodies along with beanies to adorn their heads. They walked to Michael’s car and quickly got in to get warmed up before driving to the store. A few kisses and loving insults later and they were off, driving to the nearest grocery store they could find.

Michael sent Ray off to fetch whatever flavor ice-cream he wanted while he went shopping for actual food to which the younger complained that “ice-cream _is_ actual food.”

Ray walked aimlessly around the aisles for a while after getting what he wanted, not bothering to text Michael to see where he was at. He turned into what looked like to be the bread aisle and stopped as small, bright orange hearts littered his vision. He looked around and was about to see if they belonged to either the lady at the end of the small aisle or to the man just a bit closer to him when the man looked up, eyes squinted just a bit. Ray gulped as he watched the hearts slowly crowd around his head as their eyes met and could only stare in shock as the man started walking towards him.

Ray slowly walked over to the man and noted his scary appearance. Tattoos took residence on the man’s left arm and both hands, he had a cartoonish moustache that curled up at the ends, and maybe his disheveled hair looked perfect to have fingers tugging on it.

Ray was about to say the same cheesy line he used on Michael when he first met him but bit his lips when words failed him. Geoff didn’t mind, though, as he stretched his hand out to be shaken. “The name’s Geoff,” he said with a smile.

“Ray.” The younger shook his hand and almost laughed out of sheer nervousness.

“I hope I’m not scaring you,” Geoff commented. He ran his fingers through his hair and yeah there was a chance Ray wanted to do that, too. “I have a friend that says I look pretty intimidating.” He didn’t have to voice it, but Ray knew he was talking about the ink that littered his skin.

“Nah,” Ray said with a dismissive wave of his hand. “Tattoos are a total fucking turn on. Michael has some, too, and—“

“Michael?” Geoff asked.

“Oh shit.” Ray fumbled with his hands and he took his phone out of his pocket, setting down his ice-cream box that was probably too late to be saved. He dialed Michael’s number and told Geoff to wait a moment before he picked up the phone.

“ _Where the fuck are you?_ ” Michael asked.

“Get to fucking aisle nine, okay?”

“ _What the fuck happened?_ ” Michael sensed the urgency in Ray’s voice and the younger knew Michael would shove anyone if they were in his way. He was like a freight train when he was angry and anyone in his path was sure to get yelled at.

“Calm down, Michael, I’m fine. Just fucking get over here and see for yourself.”

“I’m guessing Michael is someone I should meet,” Geoff spoke up after Ray put his phone back into his pocket. He set the red basket he was carrying onto the floor and waited for Michael to show up.

“He’s one of our soul mates,” Ray almost whispered. He looked up at Geoff and flashed a wide grin as he heard a quick set of footsteps approach where the two stood.

Geoff’s eyes widened in surprise and he stared at the end of the aisle impatiently, not wanting to seem desperate and run around the corner. After waiting years and years for one of five soul mates to show up he never would have thought he could meet two on the same day.

Michael bounded around the corner and saw Ray leaning against the shelves, smiling like an idiot. He was about to ask what was so important when bright orange hearts clouded his vision, making him wince slightly. Fucking hearts and their stupid reaction times. Why did it always have to hurt him when he found someone he was destined to love? It never happened to Ray. (And Michael complained about that for the following two weeks after they met.) The hearts soon began to jumble around a man’s head and Michael did everything he could to keep from parting his lips in pure joy.

Michael stared at the man before him, taking in the way his hair looked like he just rolled out of bed and how his eyes looked like they couldn’t give a fuck if they tried. His eyes moved down to the loose, black shirt that rested on his body and let the tattoos covering his left arm show proudly. His sight drifted to the jeans that hung loosely on the man’s frame and back up to the hand being extended towards him.

Geoff wanted to grab the two and pull them into his arms then and there. Michael stared at him and he watched as the lad’s eyes raked over his body. He stretched his arm out and hoped to get rid of the red hearts blurring his vision. They surely weren’t as annoying as they were when he saw Ray.

The two shook hands and Ray wanted to laugh as the two introduced themselves.

“Is this love at first sight or what?” Michael asked after they told each other their names.

Ray suddenly didn’t want to laugh anymore. “You fucking stealer!” He quickly covered his mouth when a few stares were pointed his way. “You can’t even think of your own pickup line!” He crossed his arms and sighed through his nose, not caring if he was interrupting the moment.

“Well, you know,” Michael shrugged with a grin. He laughed aloud when Ray punched his shoulder and grabbed his hand while intertwining their fingers after his small tantrum.

“Well if it helped, Ray, that line really works wonders,” Geoff said with a small giggle.

“At least _someone_ appreciates it,” Ray stuck his tongue out, leaning his neck forward to get closer to Michael to which the older responded with by pushing his face away.

“I appreciated the fuck out of that lame ass pickup line,” Michael said. He was about to comment further when Ray’s stomach growled, causing the Hispanic to turn a light shade of red.

“How about we go out for lunch?” Geoff asked while Ray put his face in his hands.

“Sounds great,” Michael nodded. The trio went to pay for their groceries, save for anything that needed to be frozen or refrigerated. Geoff decided to lead the way while Michael and Ray trailed behind in their car.

Geoff led them into a rundown Italian restaurant not famous for looks but instead for quality. He held the door open and laughed when Michael tried tripping Ray as they walked into the building.

Booths lined the walls and a few tables were scattered throughout the open floor. Red and white plaid tablecloths covered the tables and a grim red decorated the booth seats. A few people occupied the place but other than that it was remote. A countertop rested against the back of the restaurant, opposite of the door, and a small kitchen waited behind it. Red and white stools rested under the bar and a waiter wiped off the tops of tables.

The men moved to sit in a booth in a corner with Geoff on one side and Michael on the other with Ray. A waitress brought them menus and took their orders a few minutes later, leaving the trio to their own devices while they waited for their food.

“How long has it been since you two met?” Geoff asked. He rubbed his straw in between his fingers as Ray counted off his fingers.

“We met towards the beginning of September… so almost six months now.” Ray looked up with a grin and tapped his fingers mindlessly against each other.

“And it’s been nonstop nagging since then,” Michael rolled his eyes.

“I tell you to clean the room _one_ time and you never let a guy forget it,” Ray scoffed.

“I’m guessing you two live together, then,” Geoff inferred.

“Yeah, he moved in about three months ago,” Michael nodded.

“I still regret that, you know,” Ray said with a faux shiver.

“Excuse me for not being as much of a clean freak as you are.”

“Am not!” Ray protested.

“Are too.”

“Shut up.”

Michael snickered at Ray’s defeat and glanced over to see Geoff resting his chin in his hand. “Hey, Geoff,” Michael spoke up. Said man raised an eyebrow in response to indicate that he was listening. “How old are you?”

“Twenty-nine.”

“Holy shit, you’re ancient,” Ray sputtered out from where he was taking a sip of water.

“I’m not fucking ancient,” Geoff shook his head. “I’m twenty-five at heart and that’s all that matters.”

“Careful, Ray,” Michael giggled. “Wouldn’t want to upset grandpa too much or else he might faint.”

“Suck a dick.” Geoff sighed through his nose and tried to hold back a smile as the other two laughed in their seats. He gave in and shook his head before sitting up. “At least I’m the oldest so you won’t deal with any more elders.” He had noticed when looking at Michael’s arm in the store since he had rolled up his sleeves when he entered the building. Comparing them to his own arm wasn’t hard to see who was oldest and who was the youngest of their soon to be group of six.

“You know we’re just teasing,” Michael chuckled. “But yeah, I guess that’s true.” He looked down at his arm and stared at the hearts imprinted on his skin, pushing his sleeve up a little bit further when it started to roll down. The green heart seemed to be fading a little but Michael thought nothing of it since it was nowhere near as transparent as Ray’s was when they first met.

“So, Geoff,” Ray said, not wanting to disturb Michael. “You’re paying for this, right?”

“I dunno, I was thinking a dine and dash would be fun,” Geoff shrugged.

“I’ll distract the waitress while you two run,” Ray laughed. He took a sip of his drink before tapping his fingers on his knee.

A few minutes later their waitress returned with their food and they all began eating, content with the silence that surrounded them for the time being. Michael had ordered lasagna, Ray ordered spaghetti with meatballs, and Geoff ordered chicken Alfredo.

Ray nudged Michael with his elbow and hid his smile behind his hand, nodding his head at Geoff. Michael coughed and did the same as Ray, trying to hold in his laughter. Geoff looked up from where he was twirling pasta on his fork and furrowed his eyebrows. “What are you two idiots laughing at?”

“Nothin’,” Ray said, successfully pulling off a straight face.

“Nothing at all,” Michael agreed, not wanting to tell Geoff he had gotten Alfredo sauce in his moustache. It was a funny sight, really. Small patches of cream colored sauce were scattered throughout his facial hair and Geoff wore a confused expression to top it all off.

Geoff rolled his eyes and began eating again before Ray started giggling and had to lift his cup to his mouth to force himself to stop. Michael kicked Ray’s shins under the table and yelped when Ray did the same.

“Okay, what’s going on?” Geoff asked. He crossed his arms and laughter erupted from Michael’s mouth.

“Hold still,” he chuckled. Michael grabbed a napkin and reached across the table to clean Geoff’s face off, making sure he didn’t get his hoodie dirty.

“You two are babies,” Geoff sighed.

\--

Michael glanced at the rear view mirror and watched as Geoff’s form grew smaller and smaller the further he drove away. He looked back at the road, though, when Ray started talking.

“I like him,” he said.

“Well duh,” Michael scoffed. “That’s kind of the point.”

“You know what I mean, smartass.” Ray nudged Michael’s arm with his own and reached for his hand to hold. “I feel like we can really do stuff with him. Like, you know how I was awkward whenever I was around Lindsay when you first brought me to your place? There wasn’t really any of that.”

“It took you like two weeks to get used to her,” Michael nodded. “But if you end up liking Geoff more than me then I’m gonna flip my shit.”

“I love all of my kids equally, Mikey,” Ray said in a high pitch.

“Okay, _Mom_.”

“You know I love you,” Ray smiled. He leaned over and pressed a kiss to Michael’s cheek and placed another one on his hand when he pulled it up to his mouth.

“And I love you, too,” Michael assured, though it wasn’t really much of an assurance but more of Michael making sure he didn’t forget to tell Ray.

-x-

“Fuck fuck fuck get away from me, you asshole,” Geoff screamed. “I will never speak to you again if you don’t get aw—“ Geoff yelled in annoyance when his character was struck by lightning and tackled Ray onto the couch, causing the Hispanic’s Wii remote to go tumbling to the ground.

“Geoff, no!” Ray yelped. He grabbed onto Geoff’s shoulders and squealed when he felt fingers travel to his torso. “Don’t you da—“ Geoff smiled to himself as he heard laughs escape Ray’s lips, thankful he was ticklish. It would be really awkward if he wasn’t.

Geoff had invited Ray over to play a few games as a date for the two of them. Michael had decided that they should go on separate dates for the time being to warm up to Geoff in their own ways, and so they had. The duo decided to play Mario Kart for the night and when Ray got a storm cloud from his item box he went straight for Geoff’s character.

“Take that, asshole,” Geoff chuckled. He let go after a minute of hearing Ray’s pleading and begging for him to stop.

“You suck,” Ray pouted, grabbing a pillow from the couch and using it to cover his face and hide the small blush forming on his cheeks. He couldn’t deny that his stomach felt like it was doing flips and other acrobatic shit.

Geoff pulled the pillow away from Ray’s face and hovered over the younger boy, staring into his chocolate brown eyes. He bit his bottom lip, contemplating whether or not it would be alright to plant his lips on Ray’s when he felt himself being pulled down, lips mashing against his own. Geoff closed his eyes as he watched Ray’s flutter shut and cupped his face with his hand.

Ray sighed through his nose and tangled his fingers in Geoff’s hair, reveling in the way it felt like silk in between his digits and feeling as though his body was on fire as butterflies coursed through his veins. He moved his other hand to rest on Geoff’s shoulder, grabbing a handful of his t-shirt as if his life depended on it. Ray pulled away to take a breath and quickly moved in again to taste the sweetness that was the raven’s mouth. Geoff had stopped drinking when in Ray’s presence (at least when they were alone, to which the younger was grateful) and had started eating assortments of candies instead, causing a sweet taste to linger on his lips and tongue.

The two broke apart again and Ray slowly opened his eyes to stare into Geoff’s blue irises. He licked his lips and grinned sheepishly at the man that rested on top of him. He was about to apologize for being so forward when Geoff leaned down and began kissing him once more.

“I don’t even care about what you’re gonna say,” he mumbled into Ray’s mouth. “But just shut up and let me enjoy this.” Ray smiled and nodded, parting his lips a little before tugging slightly on Geoff’s hair.

God, he could really get used to this.

-x-

Michael shivered as he walked hand in hand with Geoff. The two were walking around the neighborhood at night and were headed to a park nearby Michael’s house. The younger cursed to himself as he shivered for what felt like the millionth time in the short time span they were outside. “Why is it so goddamn cold in April?” Michael asked no one in particular.

“Your fault for not bringing a jacket, moron,” Geoff scolded. He took off his sweater and wrapped it around Michael’s shoulders, frowning when it fell to the ground a few seconds after it was placed.

“You have to let me put my arms in the sleeves, dumbass,” Michael said. He chuckled as he watched Geoff pick it up from the concrete with a frown on his face.

“I feel deceived,” he sighed. “Movies are total liars.”

“Of course they are,” Michael agreed, putting on Geoff’s sweater the right way when it was handed to him after being brushed off. “It’s just a bunch of bullshit.”

“Nah,” Geoff shook his head. “Maybe your shoulders are just too broad. Yeah, that’s it.”

Michael rolled his eyes and continued walking with Geoff and squeezed his hand occasionally. The two made it to their destination after a few more minutes of walking and sat themselves down on the swing set.

“Do you ever wonder what it would be like if soul mates weren’t a thing?” Michael asked after a few minutes of silence.

“What do you mean?” Geoff asked. He pushed himself back with his feet and repeated the motion a few times to swing a bit.

“Like, would we still be here, together? Would I have Ray in bed beside me every night? Would you be with the two of us and keeping us the happiest we’ve ever been? Would I even be happy at all?” Michael stared at his feet as he recited the questions he would always wonder in the late hours of the night.

“I like to think that things would still be the same,” Geoff said. “Because even if soul mates weren’t a thing, that still wouldn’t mean those same people still wouldn’t love each other in a different universe. Even if we have these weird hearts on our arms in this world doesn’t mean that in some other universe we won’t love each other the same. Over all I feel like we’d find a way to each other no matter what, especially since fate had planned this from the beginning by giving us these.” He waved his arm in the air to prove his point and watched as Michael nodded slowly.

“I just can’t help but think about this, I guess,” Michael shrugged. He wiped at his eyes with the sleeve of Geoff’s jacket and sniffled as he let out a quiet sob.

“Come here,” Geoff said and pulled Michael by his other arm, dragging him to sit in the grass. Geoff pulled him into his lap with Michael facing himself. He held Michael by his shoulders and looked at him with sad eyes. “Is there something bugging you?”

Michael shook his head. “I’m just really happy. And sometimes I wonder if I would still feel this way if I didn’t have these things marked into my skin.” He rested his forehead on Geoff’s shoulder and smiled weakly to himself.

Geoff nodded and rubbed soothing circles on Michael’s back, a trick he learned from Ray that would help him feel at ease. “Well regardless of any of that, you have those hearts and they made it easier to find Ray and I, right? So don’t worry about any of that other stuff. Just think about this stuff happening right now.”

“Okay,” Michael whispered. The two sat in silence again for a while before Michael spoke up again, his tone soft and hushed. “Do you think our other soul mates have found each other?”

“I hope they did,” Geoff answered. “I know I felt like shit up until I found you and Ray. And I don’t want them feeling like that, too.”

“I want to meet them soon.”

“I’m sure we will,” Geoff assured. “We just gotta be patient.”

“I know,” Michael said. “I’ll wait as long as it takes.”

Geoff nodded and pressed a kiss to Michael’s head, closing his eyes as his lips met his soft curls. “But at least for now you’ll get to spend as much time with me as possible. Who knows what they’ll do when we meet our other soul mates.”

“Shut the fuck up,” Michael laughed as he picked his head up. “If anything, they’ll want to get away from you.”

“I’m a perfectly likeable guy so I don’t know what you’re talking about,” Geoff teased. He tapped Michael’s nose with his finger and smiled lazily when he scrunched up his nose.

“More like you’re an idiot,” he laughed.

“That, too,” Geoff agreed.

-x-

June rolled around and Geoff had made it his life risking mission to get Ray to go swimming with him and Michael. He kneeled in front of Ray as Michael stood behind him, trying to lift his shirt off of his body.

“I’m not swimming,” Ray shook his head. “Look, I’m already brown enough I don’t need to be darker. You two, on the other hand, need all the sun you can get.”

“Ha ha,” Michael deadpanned. “Just come on. Don’t be a pissbaby.”

“ _You’re_ the pissbaby!”

“Alright, Michael,” Geoff said. “If he doesn’t wanna swim he doesn’t have to.” He grabbed Michael’s hand and pulled him away out of earshot. Ray thought nothing of it and simply closed his eyes and crossed his arms. “I got a plan,” he whispered. “When the time’s right I want you to pull his shirt off and grab his arms while I get his legs. Got it?”

“Yes sir,” Michael saluted. He followed Geoff and snuck up behind the plastic chair Ray was laying on.

Geoff kneeled in front of Ray and made sure he sounded as innocent as possible. “Are you still sure you don’t wanna come in the pool?” Geoff asked, slowly moving his fingers towards the hem of Ray’s t-shirt.

“I’m positive,” Ray said, opening his eyes. He pursed his lips and tried looking for Michael when he couldn’t be spotted. He was going to ask where he went when Geoff suddenly leaned in close, his mouth dangerously close to Ray’s ear.

“It’ll be so fun, though,” Geoff whispered as he got a few fingers to rake up Ray’s shirt. Thankfully it was the middle of the day so many people in the apartment complex deemed it too hot to go swimming at the moment. (It was something Michael would always take advantage of.)

Ray shivered and closed his eyes, expecting Geoff to kiss him or do literally _anything_ remotely romantic but was shocked when he felt a cold pair of hands pull his shirt off and wrap around his wrists. He opened his eyes to see Geoff grinning like a mad man as he carried him by his ankles to the edge of the pool.

“Don’t you fucking do it,” Ray yelled. “Michael, you asshole!” He glanced up to find Michael giggling with a wide smile on his face. “You guys are dead to me!” He tried to escape their grasp but was only freed when cool water enveloped his body and a short pain shot through his body from the temperature contrast.

“You changed your mind!” Michael laughed. He sat on the edge of the pool and kicked his feet in the water, watching as Ray wiped the water out of his eyes.

“You better get my fucking glasses,” Ray grumbled as he grabbed onto the edge of the pool.

“Calm down, Geoff’s getting them.” Ray turned his head and squinted to see Geoff’s figure diving into the water and bring back a pair of glasses that were far too wet for Ray’s tastes.

“I hate you guys,” Ray said as Geoff set his glasses back on his face. Ray groaned when the drops of water distorted his vision and opted to take them off instead. Michael took the hint and set them on the towel that rested on the chair Ray wished we was resting on.

“Nah, you totally love us,” Geoff dismissed.

“And I really wish I didn’t,” Ray shook his head with a smile.

-x-

“Michael,” Ray groaned. “We’re gonna get caught.”

“Be quiet and we won’t,” Michael shrugged. “Besides, it’s not like he’d mind.”

“But it’s _Geoff’s couch,_ ” Ray said, burying his face into Michael’s neck to muffle his panting.

“It’s probably gonna be ours anyways,” Michael said, seeming to have a solution for everything Ray worried about. “Just relax, he sleeps like a rock. He’s not gonna wake up cause he hears a moan come from your fucking mouth.”

The two had begun spending the night at Geoff’s house multiple times throughout the week and this week Geoff wanted to head to bed early considering he was up since the asscrack of dawn. Michael had taken advantage of this opportunity and that was what brought them to where they were laying on the couch. Michael held himself above Ray and was palming him through his jeans while Ray bit his bottom lip and sighed in the crook of Michael’s neck.

Ray shuddered when he felt Michael shove his hands under the hem of his pajama pants and boxers. Fuck his fingers were cold. Michael pulled Ray’s cock out of his boxers and began stroking it, feeling as it became harder under his touch. Ray bit back a moan and sucked on Michael’s neck, nipping lightly and teasing the soft skin by scraping his teeth across the surface.

Michael let out a soft sigh and groaned when he felt Ray’s hand find its way under the waistband of his boxers. He pumped his hand slowly and smirked when he felt Ray try to buck into his hand.

Ray moaned at the contact and began sucking on Michael’s Adam’s apple, moving his lips to mouth at his jaw line. He used his free hand to bury his fingers in Michael’s hair and tugged on the strands to elicit a groan from him. Ray ran his thumb over the head of Michael’s cock and ground his hips against Michael’s when he felt him do the same.

“God, I fucking love you,” Michael whispered as he pulled his neck away from the mouth teasing at it and brought his lips down to crash against Ray’s.

“It’d be hard not to,” Ray laughed. He pressed another kiss to Michael’s mouth and parted his lips. Ray let out a small moan when he felt Michael’s tongue slide over his own and began biting the older’s bottom lip.

Michael moved down to the Hispanic’s chest and moved backwards on the couch as he used his hands to rake his shirt up and pull it off his body. He mouthed down Ray’s chest and gripped his hips as he took the head of his cock in his mouth. Michael swirled his tongue around and took more of Ray into his mouth, humming lightly.

Ray groaned and tried bucking his hips up but was stopped when Michael held him down. If there was one thing he knew, it was that Michael was a God with his mouth. He arched his back in pleasure as Michael began bobbing his head and stroking whatever else he couldn’t fit into his mouth.

Michael held Ray down yet again when he tried bucking into his mouth and rolled his eyes. He fucking knew he had a gag reflex. He pinned Ray to the couch with his hand and propped himself up with his forearm as his fingers slid under his boxers. Michael moaned around Ray’s cock as he stroked himself and wondered if Ray felt any heat pooling in the pit of his stomach, too.

Ray rolled his hips slowly and used his forearm to muffle his moans. “Fuck, _Michael,_ ” he groaned. His toes closed around each other as he heard Michael stop sucking with a pop of his lips. Michael began kissing up the side of his cock and licking the underside of his shaft while pumping Ray with his hand.

“Just fucking get it over with, asshole,” Ray ordered as he licked and bit at his lips.

“Bossy.” Ray rolled his eyes and sighed when Michael resumed sucking and was grateful when he sped up his pace.

Michael groaned around Ray’s cock once more when he sped up the pace of his hand, feeling himself teetering over the edge. But fuck that if he was the first one to cum. A man has his dignity.

A few minutes passed and Michael felt a warm liquid spill into his mouth and swallowed it all, not wanting to dirty Geoff’s couch. Shortly after Michael felt himself spilling out into his hand and quickly wiped it on his shirt, not really caring if a stain showed or not.

Ray tucked himself back into his boxers, as did Michael, and pushed his glasses up. “I’m not doing this on Geoff’s couch again,” he shook his head.

“We’ll see about that,” Michael smirked.

-x-

Sometimes Geoff really hated being matched up with Michael and Ray. They were complete idiots when it came to the simplest things and they didn’t do anything for themselves. Geoff wondered how they were able to live on their own but figured they were just starting to act like this because they knew they could get Geoff to spoil them.

And spoil them he had.

“I love you, Geoff,” Ray said as he licked his ice-cream that ran extremely close to being ten dollars.

“Yeah, you’re the best boyfriend ever,” Michael nodded, scooping a spoonful of _seven dollar_ ice-cream into his mouth.

“You guys are gonna eat up all the money in my wallet,” Geoff whined as he set his head on the table they were sitting at.

“You’re the one who offered to pay,” Ray said.

“I didn’t expect you guys to get anything more than like, two dollars,” Geoff mumbled. “So it’s not my fault.”

“Oh it is,” Michael countered. “You just weren’t aware of it at the time.” He scooped up another spoonful of strawberry ice-cream and tapped Geoff’s shoulder. “If it helps, though, I can share. C’mon Geoffrey, eat up.”

“Fuck off,” Geoff said as he brought his head up. “If I’m getting any sweets it’ll be Ray’s. That fucker made me waste more money on him so I’m getting what I paid for.”

“Woah, Geoff, don’t be greedy,” Ray snickered as he leaned his cone over to Geoff.

“I’ll be as greedy as I want, you fucker,” Geoff muttered as he took as much ice-cream as he could before Ray pulled the cone away.

“Calm down there, grandpa,” Ray said. “You wouldn’t want to get your blood pressure up.”

“I don’t think you said it loud enough, Ray,” Michael laughed. “His hearing aid isn’t turned up all the way.”

“Fucking bite me,” Geoff groaned as he flipped them the bird.

\--

Ray smiled to himself as he lay sandwiched between Geoff and Michael. He shuddered as Michael’s cold fingers traced lazy shapes and spirals on his waist. He sighed in content as he felt Geoff’s arms tighten softly from where they rested around his body. Ray’s stomach did somersaults and he felt like he was in a desert with all the light touches that sent the pit of his abdomen into flurries of heat.

Ray leaned back into Geoff touch and let out a satisfied hum as he felt a kiss being pressed to the back of his nape. It sent tingles throughout his body and caused his breath to hitch in his throat. Geoff was like the moon. He was calm and cool and never seemed to boast or shine too bright. Some days he would relax and others he would be loud and playful. Geoff was soft spoken and quiet at times and it always caused butterflies to fly throughout every inch of Ray’s being.

Michael placed small kisses on Ray’s cheeks and jaw line, allowing his eyes to flutter shut. Ray bit his lip as he felt Michael’s fingers roam a little further up his waist until the digits were stopped by Geoff’s arm and were forced to go a little lower on Ray’s frame. To Ray, Michael was his sun. He was feisty like a fireball and shone bright as day. He was cocky and energetic but could be peaceful and compassionate in all the right ways when needed.

Ray didn’t know what he was. He was probably some asteroid roaming the galaxies that lay in his path because he couldn’t see himself as anything as amazing or needed as the sun or the moon. Sure, he felt he was important, but it was like he couldn’t compare to Michael or Geoff. They brought him life and vigor and he didn’t think he could supply the two the way they do with him.

And for some reason they still love that boring asteroid.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Woooah get ready for more awkward dialogue because here comes Gavvy  
> 


	3. Not One, But Two

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> What else are you supposed to do when you meet your soulmates while trying to play a video game?
> 
> The only logical thing to do is continue as planned, of course.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Sorry to everyone waiting for me to update! I've been having computer troubles lately and still have't been able to get it fixed :/  
> Anyways, I tried to post this as soon as I felt I had enough written, so my apologies again!

Gavin sighed as he watched Dan flip yet another page in the book he was reading. He loved being around his best friend, but sometimes he could be just so… _boring._ Who _reads_ on their day off?

“Play with me, Dan,” Gavin whined, waving two Xbox controllers in the air. “You can read that book later!”

“Then I can play with you later, right?” Dan asked, raising his eyebrows. “Besides, it's too early to play for me. You can play on your own. Go on Live or something.”

“Well then I’d just be playing with a bunch of twelve year olds now, wouldn’t I?”

“Maybe you’ll be better than them this time,” Dan laughed. “Now leave me alone. I’ll join you in a bit.”

Gavin huffed and stormed off into the living room, setting a controller on the coffee table and sitting on the couch. He turned on his Xbox and propped his feet on the table. If Dan didn’t want to play with him then so be it. He was the worst teammate ever, anyways. It wasn’t even like he wanted to play with his friend so badly that he was going to keep pestering him. He would be fine.

\--

He wasn’t fine at all. Round after round he was killed and his teammates deemed him useless from the horrible static-y sounds that emanated from the headset he was wearing. He had moved his microphone away from his face before he started playing, though, not wanting to have to speak to some of the people that weren’t used to his accent, thus also removing any bickering that may have sprung up between his teammates.

Gavin slumped in his seat and waited for the game to begin again. Playing without Dan was the worst. Usually he’d have someone to cheer with when they won a game or two. They would end up laughing off their losses and sharing a few drinks. Not having anyone to do that with was just boring. Though, he could always just _ask_ Dan to play with him. He’d been reading for almost an hour now.

No, he was going to wait and he was going to tolerate it the best that he could.

Gavin smiled to himself as the people he was playing with left the lobby, glad that his team members were going to be replaced. He could finally redeem himself. _MLP_Michael and BrownMan, huh?_ He lowered his microphone when he heard two voices begin laughing, deciding they were friendly and not paying enough attention to know what was so funny.

He was more focused on the faint hearts that appeared in his vision.

His mother had told him that when she met his father it was the happiest moment of her life. They’d met a park where she was taking a walk and the two quickly spotted each other when brightly colored hearts entered their vision. His mother had been walking up to multiple people when his father approached her and the two shook hands.

But that was the problem.

Her hearts were _bright._ Gavin frowned as he realized his hearts were dim and seemed to be scratchy and faded. They looked as if someone had run over the poor shapes multiple times. The color was faded so he couldn’t really be sure what it was. Red? Brown? Maroon? There was no telling.

“Gavino Free!” Gavin’s eyes widened when he saw faint, red hearts dot the edges of his vision. They were small and practically unnoticeable since he couldn’t look at them directly. His mate could be walking outside of his house, right?

“Gavinoooo!” Then his lips were parting because there was _no fucking way_ he was seeing brown hearts that probably weren’t even brown but who cares because he only saw hearts when the two men talked and what were the chances that the hearts were actually two colors instead of one?

Gavin’s eyes darted down to his arm and he furrowed his brows as he looked at the red and brown hearts that were permanently imprinted in his skin. Was there a chance that they were his mates? Probably not, but if they were, they would probably see the hearts if he talked, too, right? It was just a hunch he had considering hardly anybody had long distance lovers and could they even be considered long distance? Gavin didn’t know where they were.

It was still worth a try, right?

“Yeah, yeah, that’s me.” Gavin responded cheerily, hoping they were seeing his hearts when he spoke. “I’m probably gonna bring you two down, though, so don’t try to sound too happy to have me on your team.”

Gavin bit his lip, hoping he talked enough. He assumed he did when he heard a small “Michael?” and then small mumbling sounds that weren’t audible. God if he was right he was going to scream in joy (not really, but you get the picture).

Suddenly a small popup was on the bottom of the screen. _MLP_Michael sent you a friend request._ Gavin practically gnawed on his lip and accepted the request. His heart felt like it would stop from where it was beating a mile a minute. He could feel his hands moisten when another notification popped up that indicated _MLP_Michael_ sent him a message. He opened it and almost groaned when he felt his stomach do flips and twists and knots and whatever else it was doing. It made him feel sick.

_Wanna join a private party?_

Gavin quickly typed out his reply and waited for an invite to be sent, long having since forgotten about the game they were supposed to be playing. He waited for a few seconds and wiped his hands on his jeans before accepting the invite. If whoever this was wanted to talk to him privately then they must have seen the hearts, too, right? They had to have seen the damn hearts.

Gavin quickly prodded into his room where Dan still sat, flipping the mangy pages that belonged to his “precious book.” The pages smelled like mildew so he would never know what made the book so damn special. “Don’t come into the living room for a while, B,” Gavin said as he moved the microphone away from his mouth and covered it up, not really caring whether or not it went out of range after he switched rooms.

“What’s the matter?” Dan asked as he looked up. Gavin pointed at the hearts on his arm, hoping Dan was smart enough to get the hint, and made his way back to where he previously sat on the couch, waiting for the talking to begin. He wouldn’t have to initiate it, right?

“So, you see those things, too, right?” Gavin cocked his head to the side before realizing the “things” were the hearts. He nodded as he saw brown hearts float in his peripheral and scolded himself when he remembered they couldn’t see him.

“Yep,” he replied.

“God, I felt like I was going crazy.” Gavin let out a small laugh as the brown hearts were replaced with red ones and nodded as he grasped that yes, he just met two of his soul mates on _Xbox Live_ for crying out loud.

“The name’s Ray,” one of them said. Brown hearts appeared in his peripheral, decorating the edge of his TV. Gavin made a mental note that his voice was a bit deeper and didn’t seem to hold too much emotion in it. He seemed like a lazy person based on his tone.

“And I’m Michael,” the other said. Gavin nodded as he took note of the fact that Michael’s voice held a lot more emotion and seemed to be softer, almost. He also made sure to remember that his hearts were red and told himself not to mix them up.

“My name is Gavin,” the Brit replied almost instantly. He set his controller down on the coffee table and decided to make himself comfortable by lying down on the sofa.

“You’re British,” Michael pointed out.

“I’m well aware of that,” Gavin laughed.

“Fucking damn it,” Ray sighed. He sounded kind of... deflated? Defeated, maybe?

“Is there something wrong with that?” Suddenly Gavin didn’t want to be too comfortable. What if he wasn’t liked because of that sole reason? Surely it wouldn’t be much of a problem, right?

“I’m not the only exotic one anymore,” Ray groaned. “The all mighty Puerto Rican has fallen from his throne.” Gavin heard an obnoxious rustling blare into his ears and came to the conclusion that Ray was touching Michael in some way. He wanted that, too.

“We could be the foreign duo, then,” Gavin exclaimed. “We’d be like superheroes or something!”

“But then we’d need names,” Ray pointed out.

“Have people ever called you X-Ray?” Gavin suggested. He smiled and laughed when he heard Michael mutter “You guys are fucking idiots”.

“No,” Ray shook his head. “Under no context has anybody ever called me X-Ray.”

“Then that’s your new superhero name! No one will know who you are! We’ll be… X-Ray and Vav!” Gavin sat up and bounced in his seat, unsure of why he was excited for such a little thing. Maybe it was because of the fact he could have someone to talk to now instead of Dan. Or maybe it was because they were bonding or something. He didn’t really know. All he could really piece together from the conversation was that he probably wasn’t going to need to talk formally.

“X-Ray it is, then,” Ray laughed.

The three talked and joked until it was nearly two o’clock in the morning and Michael realized he had to work in almost five hours. “Fuck, I forgot,” Michael groaned. “I’ll see you two later. I forgot I had to work in the morning.”

Gavin suppressed a whine and nodded. “G’night Michael,” he called out. He smiled when he saw faded, read hearts float around when he muttered “Night, Gav”.

Michael took his headset off and crawled up from his spot on the couch, making his way to the bedroom after planting a kiss on the crown of Ray’s head.

“Aren’t you going to sleep as well, Ray?” Gavin asked. “It’s bloody late there, isn’t it?” He checked his phone, noting how it was only eight in the morning for him. Video games wait for no one, after all.

“Nah, I’m fine,” Ray shrugged. “I have the day off so it’s no big deal.”

“If you insist, then.” Gavin continued to ramble on about his life, sharing funny stories of when he was a child and listening intently as Ray told his own memories. He hadn’t even remembered Dan was visiting until the Brit was tapping on his shoulder almost an hour after Michael left. “Hold on a second, Ray.”

“I brought you some food,” Dan said calmly, placing a paper bag on the couch next to Gavin. “Since, you know, it seemed like you weren’t going to get up for a while.”

“Thanks, B,” Gavin smiled. He was going to turn around when an idea popped into his head, making him smiled even wider. “Hey, Ray,” he spoke into the microphone. “You wouldn’t mind playing some games, right?’

“Got any in mind?” Ray asked, sitting up from where he was lying on the couch. He grabbed the controller and started fiddling with the buttons and analog sticks, craving some sort of action.

“We could play Minecraft!” Gavin yelled. “Dan, you can play with us, too!” Gavin patted the seat next to him and stared up expectantly at his friend.

“I don’t know who Dan is but yeah, bring him in Vav,” Ray agreed.

“I don’t know,” Dan shrugged. He put his hand in his hair and twirled as much as he could around his fingers. “Aren’t you talking to your soul mate or whatever?”

“It’s fine,” Gavin assured him. “Now hurry up and get a controller and headset. You said you were gonna play with me anyways so I want you to hurry up.”

“Are you sure I’m not intruding?” Dan asked, still not entirely convinced. What if he were to ruin a moment the two may be having? Did they already come up with inside jokes that he wouldn’t understand?

“It’s fine, you dope,” Gavin sighed.

Dan nodded and went to find an extra controller along with a headset and appeared a few minutes later with each item in hand. Another few minutes passed and everything was set up. Dan and Gavin were sharing a split screen and were strewn about on the couch, legs intertwining as they both tried to get as much space as possible on the couch. Ray laughed aloud and had made fun of them, gloating over how he had more space.

“Why don’t you just sit on the floor, Gav?” Ray asked as he mined a few pieces of stone, snickering to himself when he found a pit of lava hidden behind the wall of rock.

“Because maybe Dan needs to be a gentleman and let me sit comfortably,” Gavin countered.

“But I’m the guest!” Dan tore his eyes from the screen and stared at Gavin, kicking the blonde’s legs with a playful grin. “I should be treated with the best hospitality you have, B.”

“Sod off,” Gavin laughed. He turned back to the TV and the three played for a while, passing jokes and giving the nickname “Dan the Man” to the brunet before Gavin left to the bathroom.

“So, Dan,” Ray said slowly. “Hypothetically speaking, if someone were to have a bucket of lava right now, who is someone you’d know that has a wooden house in need of burning down? This is all hypothetical, so remember that.”

“Well, _if_ I were to know someone with a wooden house, I would tell them to visit Gavin.” Dan laughed as he entered the Brit’s house, destroying his bed and taking it with him on his way out. “But of course, that’s only if someone has lava.”

“Well would you look at that?” Ray asked after a few seconds. “It seems it wasn’t very hypothetical at all.” The two watched in amusement as the house went up in flames, Gavin going down with it.

By the time Gavin returned, Dan was giggling to himself on the couch and Ray’s snickers seemed to be the only noise coming out of the headphones. Gavin shook his head and began walking around the world, not recognizing any of the trees surrounding him. His house wasn’t in the jungle biome, was it? His house wasn’t in sight either.

“You two are bloody pricks!” Gavin yelled after he caught on. He opened his inventory and frowned at the lack of items. “I had a lot of iron on me, too.”

“Sorry, B,” Dan laughed. “But it was all Ray’s fault.”

“Snitch,” Ray shook his head.

“You two are both dead to me,” Gavin smiled.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I think Gavin might have at least three chapters since he has the whole "living across an ocean" problem, so there's definitely going to be more of him!  
> Also, thank you amazingbeth for pointing out the time zones!! That would have been really bad if you didn't <3


	4. Welcome Home [I've Come Home]

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Title inspired by _Welcome Home, Son_ by _Radical Face_

Gavin giggled into his hand, grin widening as he dropped his controller on the couch.

“What’re you laughing about?” Dan asked, raising his eyebrow with a smile as he turned to look at the blond.

Gavin shook his head and lowered his hand, legs coming up so he could sit cross legged on the couch. Ray had fallen asleep a few minutes prior, but the Brit had only noticed shortly after and could feel his heart swell at the thought.

Sure, he’s never met his soulmate--never even _seen_ the guy-- but… it was more of a thought kind of thing. Because he’d finally found his soulmate. In his 23 years of living he’d thought that he’d never meet any of his five soulmates due to not finding any of them in high school much like his peers had. And finally knowing that they existed, _actually existed,_ was like a dream come true.

Gavin had been excited before, undoubtedly buzzing with joy, but as the thought finally settled in, he felt even giddier. Two soulmates! At the same time! If he had to describe the feeling, it’d be sort of like when you found out your parents finally let you get a pet but you couldn’t get it yet, only to finally be able to care for it after weeks (maybe even years) of waiting.

It was like he’d finally have someone to care for. Someone he could soon cherish.

And as he listened to Ray’s soft snores from over the headset, static lacing the small sound, Gavin couldn’t stop himself from laughing.

Because honestly, what were you supposed to do when you found two of your five soulmates?

“I finally found them,” Gavin sighed as he stared at the TV screen, Ray’s character sleeping in a bed as he waited for Gavin to leave his mine and find a place to sleep.

“Yeah,” Dan nodded. “You sure did, B.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Rlly short drabble, only 300+ words, but I just wanted to show I haven't given up on the fic!

**Author's Note:**

> If you have any questions or want anything cleared up don't be afraid to ask!
> 
> You can contact me at my tumblr, freewoodking  
> 


End file.
